Cafe Momentum Pushes Forward Youth Justice Mission with Incoming Atlanta Restaurant

After a series of pop-ups that began in 2024, Café Momentum, an award-winning nonprofit restaurant, is finally opening the doors of its first Atlanta location on Thursday, March 27. With a mission to transform the lives of justice-involved youth, the restaurant is tackling juvenile incarceration intervention in a new way, blending rehabilitation and development with fine dining.

What started in 2015 in Dallas by founder and CEO Chad Houser has grown into a system of support for over 1,200 justice-involved youth through its paid 12-month internship program. The goal was to build a better system of creating pathways out of incarceration through community, support and positive change for youth. In an experimental take on social change, teens aged 15-19 are exposed to opportunities to gain social, financial, and academic life skills by navigating the demands of the restaurant industry. After graduation from the program, they are placed in jobs with community partners.

Support from the Atlanta community, corporations, foundations, and volunteers such as the Stand Together Foundation led to the city being selected as the next location to advance its mission, with 25 interns currently in the program. Nyaboke Machini, director of development, said Café Momentum wants to be  part of the village to help the youth “do more and be more.” 

“We want people to have delicious food while taking off the stigma of juvenile justice,” Machini said. “To come have fine dining, and you’re served by a 17-year-old who’s confident about what they’re doing and how they’re doing it? I think that’s really great.”

Café Momentum goes beyond helping its interns within the restaurant, implementing wrap-around services such as group therapy, parenting classes, and house check-ups. The staff, who range from therapists, educators, and case managers to restaurant leaders, are all trained and experienced in trauma-informed practices. 

Kenzo Sohoue, a Café Momentum ambassador, joined the intern program at age 19. Sohoue shared that he was incarcerated when he was chosen to participate in a pop-up dinner in Los Angeles. From there, he said knew he had the opportunity to build community and family. 

“I couldn’t just let go of that opportunity. And to trust me in the kitchen, to trust me outside of my current circumstance? I knew I had way more potential.”

At 25, Sohoue is now a case manager and policy advocate for youth in L.A. As an ambassador, he has been instrumental in spreading the café’s mission in other cities as it moves to expand. Through mentorship and guidance, he has learned life skills such as cooking, networking, and building community and advised other youth who are involved in the justice system not to hold back. 

“You won’t know what is good for you until it’s gone. And just realize that they have the opportunity to actually grow within something and not feel stagnant and feel like they’re only getting the same results all the time, which I can relate to. You have no limits. You are a king or a queen,” Sohoue said. “Now that I’ve emancipated from my challenges and still growing, I can now be a role model and have an impact without even saying anything because I’m a walking testimony.”

Café Momentum is located at 200 Peachtree St NW Suite L02. It will be open Thursday-Saturday from 5 p.m.-10 p.m.

“The food sells itself. The method sells itself. Just come and eat or tell our story,” Machini said. 

by Laura NwoguMarch 19, 2025

Full article: https://theatlantavoice.com/cafe-momentum-atlanta-opening/